Post by Jinsei on Sept 3, 2007 13:44:28 GMT -5
(from a talk given at The Dunedin Spiritualist Centre on 24th June 2001)
"A gardener has to have a knowledge of the unseen root of the tree before he can be expected to give his concentrated effort to watering its root so that the whole tree remains fresh and green."
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi from the introduction of "Transcendental Meditation"
"Of the Means of Arriving at the Secret
The requirements necessary in order to arrive at this Secret, are: the knowledge of Nature and of one's self. One may not understand the first perfectly, or even the second, without the aid of Alchemy. The love of wisdom, the horror of crime, and of falsehood, … the association of the wise, the invocation of the Holy Spirit; not to add secret to secret, to attach one's self only to one thing (because God and Nature delight in unity and simplicity), such are the conditions necessary for obtaining the divine revelation.
Man being the epitome of all Nature, must learn to know himself as the summary, the miniature of Nature. By his spiritual part he is allied to all immortal creatures, and by his material part, to all that which is transient in the Universe."
- Antoine-Joseph Pernety.
This talk is a brief introduction to the subject of alchemy. The subject has many branches, beliefs, and whole set of terminology specific to it, which make it difficult to discuss with others who do not know the words and the associated meanings. I have attempted to keep this talk free of jargon as much as possible, and discuss and illustrate a few points associated with alchemy and its history.
Often when I mention in conversation that I am interested in Alchemy there are two common responses I get. Sometimes it is, "Alchemy? What is that?" Other times it is, "oh, that's about turning lead into gold, right?"
The first response is not too surprising in modern times, when the age of science claims to have superseded the older, and often more spiritual arts and sciences. The second response is partly correct, and is generally the way most people, who have heard the words alchemy or alchemists, have come to understand it - the quest to find a method of turning lead into gold. However, that is only a small part of what alchemists understood alchemy to be.
The transformation of lead into gold was seen as analogous to spiritual progress, of the transformation of that which is base, or common, into that which is spiritual, pure, refined, and incorruptible. The symbolism of gold has always been that of incorruptibility, due to the properties of the precious metal. To the alchemists, all other metals are simply metals, which had not yet reached their full ripeness naturally to become gold. On the spiritual side, we, as common people, have not yet achieved our full ripeness of spiritual attainment and perfection.
Another way of viewing alchemy, in less specific terms, is the increase in the rate of vibration. I have heard several of the clairvoyants mention that spirit is very high vibration, and that the clairvoyant raises their vibration to access spirit. In alchemy it is considered that the more 'perfected' and 'purified' a substance is, the higher its rate of vibration.
So to the alchemist The Great Work, and creation of the Philosopher's Stone is not simply about turning lead into gold, or production of the Elixir of Life to gain immortality. The properties of the Philosopher's Stone, of transforming a base metal into Gold, and the creation of the Elixir of Life to extend one's natural life were seen as a touchstone, indicating that the alchemist had indeed learnt much of the secrets of Nature. It is often said that to be able to create the Philosopher's Stone an alchemist had to have already succeeded in the 'inner work' of spiritual attainment.
The reading I gave earlier from Pernety gives a good indication of the idea that one needs to know and understand oneself, and alchemy was seen by the alchemist as the best method for achieving this, in part because of the long standing traditions from cultures ranging from Egypt and Greece to India and China teaching similar principles, and also because through working in a laboratory, principles of nature could be discovered and processes replicated to offer physical proof of concept.
Pernety writes: "The long work is always Nature's; she works simply, by degrees, and always by the same means to produce the same result. The work of Art is shorter; it outstrips Nature. The work of God is done in an instant. Alchemy, properly speaking, is an operation of Nature, aided by Art. It places in our hands the Key of Natural Magic, or Physics."
The actual origins of alchemy are, as with most spiritual sciences and arts, obscured by the mists of time. Many consider that the word Alchemy derives from the ancient name of Egypt, Khem, thus pertaining to the art of Egypt, while others suggest the word is Greek in origin. Others believe the origins are to be found in China, before finding there way to Greece and the Middle East or from India and the Vedic science being passed on to the Greeks and Egyptians. Regardless of where it originated, it can be seen to be of very ancient origin, well over 2,000 years old.
In modern times, with the advent of materialism and science based purely on empirical evidence, Alchemy has often been relegated to the position in history of being the forerunner of modern chemistry. While it is likely that modern chemistry indeed grew out of alchemical beginnings, that misses the whole spiritual side of Alchemy. It is true that some notable people in the early days of modern science where also alchemists. Two alchemists many people may have heard of are Paracelsus, considered by many to be the father of modern medicine, and Isaac Newton the father of modern physics.
Others in recent times have taken notice of the spiritual side of alchemy, often arguing that there never was a chemical tradition within alchemy, and that it was simply a spiritual science, which used allegories and metaphors of chemical processes to teach about the unseen processes of spiritual development. One of the first to recognise the spiritual aspects of the alchemical writings was Carl Jung, the German psychologist and founder of an entire system of psychoanalysis. Jung recognised that much of what the alchemists referred to corresponded with human psychology and the processes of inner growth and transformation.
Paul Foster Case, founder of the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA), famous for his teachings centred around the tarot cards, was another promoter of Alchemy as a purely spiritual science, and in some of his writings clearly states that no laboratory tradition ever existed.
Another modern author who originally saw alchemy as purely spiritual and psychological teachings was Israel Regardie, author of many books on Qabala and magic and famous for his involvement with The Golden Dawn. He wrote a book called "The Philosopher's Stone", which offers commentary and analysis of several well-known alchemical writings, viewing them from a psychological perspective. After later learning of the laboratory practices and in fact learning such procedures himself he wrote that he no longer held the view that it was solely a spiritual practice, but one which had a firm basis in natural laws and demonstrable processes.
The basic processes of alchemy are often summed up with the Latin words "Solve et Coagula". The processes have three stages, the first, separation, the second, purification, and the third, re-combination. It is this process which has often been likened to the spiritual or psychological processes; of separation, or discovering the various facets of oneself; of purification, or overcoming those areas of our lives which seek to drag us down and/or inhibit our growth; and finally of the recombination, or the creation of a unified self, one that is in balance, in harmony, and in unity with all parts of itself.
Something which modern science often uses to demonstrate that the alchemists had little understanding of actual chemistry is the use of the words salt, sulphur and mercury, along with the alchemical belief of the four elements, earth, water, air and fire. However, it was not that alchemists believed all matter to be comprised of these substances, rather that these physical substances displayed the properties of the subtle, spiritual, elements.
Salt, Sulphur and Mercury are called the Three Principles. All matter can be divided, via alchemical processes, into these three things. Salt, was not seen as the common salt, but as the body of a substance. After the sulphur and mercury had been extracted, the remaining material could be burned (a process of purification) and reduced to ash, and further to a very fine powder and was therefore the salt. Sulphur is the oily fraction that can be extracted from substances; in the case of plants it is the essential oil. Mercury is the most volatile of the principles, and generally is extracted via the process of distillation (being the 'Spirit' of the matter).
In the spiritual processes, salt is often seen as the physical body, with the sulphur and mercury being aspects of the spiritual side of us, which reside within the body.
The Four Elements spoken of by the alchemists were not the common substances, but again subtle, spiritual, forces that everything is comprised of. This view is a more holistic approach, looking at things as a whole, rather than the more modern reductionist approach of trying to break everything down to its smallest components.
Earth has the properties of dryness and coldness; Water of wetness and coldness; Air of wetness and heat; and Fire the properties of heat and dryness. It was thus considered that all things comprised of these components or conditions in varying amounts.
It therefore can be seen that alchemy was far more than either proto-chemistry or allegory for spiritual progress. It was a world view aimed at understanding both the world around us, and world within us, and the correspondences between the two worlds.
I would just like to finish off with a couple more quotes from Pernety which further give an insight into the concepts of alchemy as it relates to spiritual growth:
"Life is the harmonious result of the union of Matter with Form, which constitutes the perfection of the individual. Death is the appointed limit where the disunion and separation of Form from Matter takes place."
"Sciences are acquired only by study, by meditation, and not by dispute. Learn a little at a time; repeat often the same study; the mind can do all when concentrated upon one sole object, but nothing when trying to embrace too many."
www.geocities.com/spiritualistcentre
"A gardener has to have a knowledge of the unseen root of the tree before he can be expected to give his concentrated effort to watering its root so that the whole tree remains fresh and green."
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi from the introduction of "Transcendental Meditation"
"Of the Means of Arriving at the Secret
The requirements necessary in order to arrive at this Secret, are: the knowledge of Nature and of one's self. One may not understand the first perfectly, or even the second, without the aid of Alchemy. The love of wisdom, the horror of crime, and of falsehood, … the association of the wise, the invocation of the Holy Spirit; not to add secret to secret, to attach one's self only to one thing (because God and Nature delight in unity and simplicity), such are the conditions necessary for obtaining the divine revelation.
Man being the epitome of all Nature, must learn to know himself as the summary, the miniature of Nature. By his spiritual part he is allied to all immortal creatures, and by his material part, to all that which is transient in the Universe."
- Antoine-Joseph Pernety.
This talk is a brief introduction to the subject of alchemy. The subject has many branches, beliefs, and whole set of terminology specific to it, which make it difficult to discuss with others who do not know the words and the associated meanings. I have attempted to keep this talk free of jargon as much as possible, and discuss and illustrate a few points associated with alchemy and its history.
Often when I mention in conversation that I am interested in Alchemy there are two common responses I get. Sometimes it is, "Alchemy? What is that?" Other times it is, "oh, that's about turning lead into gold, right?"
The first response is not too surprising in modern times, when the age of science claims to have superseded the older, and often more spiritual arts and sciences. The second response is partly correct, and is generally the way most people, who have heard the words alchemy or alchemists, have come to understand it - the quest to find a method of turning lead into gold. However, that is only a small part of what alchemists understood alchemy to be.
The transformation of lead into gold was seen as analogous to spiritual progress, of the transformation of that which is base, or common, into that which is spiritual, pure, refined, and incorruptible. The symbolism of gold has always been that of incorruptibility, due to the properties of the precious metal. To the alchemists, all other metals are simply metals, which had not yet reached their full ripeness naturally to become gold. On the spiritual side, we, as common people, have not yet achieved our full ripeness of spiritual attainment and perfection.
Another way of viewing alchemy, in less specific terms, is the increase in the rate of vibration. I have heard several of the clairvoyants mention that spirit is very high vibration, and that the clairvoyant raises their vibration to access spirit. In alchemy it is considered that the more 'perfected' and 'purified' a substance is, the higher its rate of vibration.
So to the alchemist The Great Work, and creation of the Philosopher's Stone is not simply about turning lead into gold, or production of the Elixir of Life to gain immortality. The properties of the Philosopher's Stone, of transforming a base metal into Gold, and the creation of the Elixir of Life to extend one's natural life were seen as a touchstone, indicating that the alchemist had indeed learnt much of the secrets of Nature. It is often said that to be able to create the Philosopher's Stone an alchemist had to have already succeeded in the 'inner work' of spiritual attainment.
The reading I gave earlier from Pernety gives a good indication of the idea that one needs to know and understand oneself, and alchemy was seen by the alchemist as the best method for achieving this, in part because of the long standing traditions from cultures ranging from Egypt and Greece to India and China teaching similar principles, and also because through working in a laboratory, principles of nature could be discovered and processes replicated to offer physical proof of concept.
Pernety writes: "The long work is always Nature's; she works simply, by degrees, and always by the same means to produce the same result. The work of Art is shorter; it outstrips Nature. The work of God is done in an instant. Alchemy, properly speaking, is an operation of Nature, aided by Art. It places in our hands the Key of Natural Magic, or Physics."
The actual origins of alchemy are, as with most spiritual sciences and arts, obscured by the mists of time. Many consider that the word Alchemy derives from the ancient name of Egypt, Khem, thus pertaining to the art of Egypt, while others suggest the word is Greek in origin. Others believe the origins are to be found in China, before finding there way to Greece and the Middle East or from India and the Vedic science being passed on to the Greeks and Egyptians. Regardless of where it originated, it can be seen to be of very ancient origin, well over 2,000 years old.
In modern times, with the advent of materialism and science based purely on empirical evidence, Alchemy has often been relegated to the position in history of being the forerunner of modern chemistry. While it is likely that modern chemistry indeed grew out of alchemical beginnings, that misses the whole spiritual side of Alchemy. It is true that some notable people in the early days of modern science where also alchemists. Two alchemists many people may have heard of are Paracelsus, considered by many to be the father of modern medicine, and Isaac Newton the father of modern physics.
Others in recent times have taken notice of the spiritual side of alchemy, often arguing that there never was a chemical tradition within alchemy, and that it was simply a spiritual science, which used allegories and metaphors of chemical processes to teach about the unseen processes of spiritual development. One of the first to recognise the spiritual aspects of the alchemical writings was Carl Jung, the German psychologist and founder of an entire system of psychoanalysis. Jung recognised that much of what the alchemists referred to corresponded with human psychology and the processes of inner growth and transformation.
Paul Foster Case, founder of the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA), famous for his teachings centred around the tarot cards, was another promoter of Alchemy as a purely spiritual science, and in some of his writings clearly states that no laboratory tradition ever existed.
Another modern author who originally saw alchemy as purely spiritual and psychological teachings was Israel Regardie, author of many books on Qabala and magic and famous for his involvement with The Golden Dawn. He wrote a book called "The Philosopher's Stone", which offers commentary and analysis of several well-known alchemical writings, viewing them from a psychological perspective. After later learning of the laboratory practices and in fact learning such procedures himself he wrote that he no longer held the view that it was solely a spiritual practice, but one which had a firm basis in natural laws and demonstrable processes.
The basic processes of alchemy are often summed up with the Latin words "Solve et Coagula". The processes have three stages, the first, separation, the second, purification, and the third, re-combination. It is this process which has often been likened to the spiritual or psychological processes; of separation, or discovering the various facets of oneself; of purification, or overcoming those areas of our lives which seek to drag us down and/or inhibit our growth; and finally of the recombination, or the creation of a unified self, one that is in balance, in harmony, and in unity with all parts of itself.
Something which modern science often uses to demonstrate that the alchemists had little understanding of actual chemistry is the use of the words salt, sulphur and mercury, along with the alchemical belief of the four elements, earth, water, air and fire. However, it was not that alchemists believed all matter to be comprised of these substances, rather that these physical substances displayed the properties of the subtle, spiritual, elements.
Salt, Sulphur and Mercury are called the Three Principles. All matter can be divided, via alchemical processes, into these three things. Salt, was not seen as the common salt, but as the body of a substance. After the sulphur and mercury had been extracted, the remaining material could be burned (a process of purification) and reduced to ash, and further to a very fine powder and was therefore the salt. Sulphur is the oily fraction that can be extracted from substances; in the case of plants it is the essential oil. Mercury is the most volatile of the principles, and generally is extracted via the process of distillation (being the 'Spirit' of the matter).
In the spiritual processes, salt is often seen as the physical body, with the sulphur and mercury being aspects of the spiritual side of us, which reside within the body.
The Four Elements spoken of by the alchemists were not the common substances, but again subtle, spiritual, forces that everything is comprised of. This view is a more holistic approach, looking at things as a whole, rather than the more modern reductionist approach of trying to break everything down to its smallest components.
Earth has the properties of dryness and coldness; Water of wetness and coldness; Air of wetness and heat; and Fire the properties of heat and dryness. It was thus considered that all things comprised of these components or conditions in varying amounts.
It therefore can be seen that alchemy was far more than either proto-chemistry or allegory for spiritual progress. It was a world view aimed at understanding both the world around us, and world within us, and the correspondences between the two worlds.
I would just like to finish off with a couple more quotes from Pernety which further give an insight into the concepts of alchemy as it relates to spiritual growth:
"Life is the harmonious result of the union of Matter with Form, which constitutes the perfection of the individual. Death is the appointed limit where the disunion and separation of Form from Matter takes place."
"Sciences are acquired only by study, by meditation, and not by dispute. Learn a little at a time; repeat often the same study; the mind can do all when concentrated upon one sole object, but nothing when trying to embrace too many."
www.geocities.com/spiritualistcentre